


Setting Sun

by orphan_account



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Character Death, Gun Violence, M/M, Not Cheating, Song Lyrics, Song fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:15:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22094704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After their relationship ends, Dan and Phil take different approaches to healing. Dan tries to move on to another boyfriend. Phil moves on to the bottle.It only takes one drink too many to make Dan regret moving on.*based on Lord Huron's "Setting Sun"
Relationships: Dan Howell/Original Male Character(s), Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Kudos: 1





	Setting Sun

**Author's Note:**

> lyrics at the end to prevent spoilers if you haven't hear it before 
> 
> some lyrics will be sprinkled throughout but not all of them

The running water beating on Phil's back felt like drills as his hands gripped the wall in front of him, his eyes cast down towards the concrete floor beneath him. The feeling brought his mind back, his eyes clenching shut to forget the vile memory that was surfacing in his mind's eye. He could see it. He could smell, taste, feel, and hear it like it was still happening and that made his eye's drip tears onto the floor. How could something that happened months ago feel so recent?

Phil could see the sun before him, the beautiful hues spreading into black. He could hear their voices, his voice. He could smell the alcohol from his own breath and smell the metal in the air that haunted him. 

He fucked up. 

* * *

*three months prior*

Dan slowly clicked the door closed behind him as he entered their flat, knowing damn well that Phil was going to be up but he didn't want him to hear him and come out, asking where he had been for hours on end. The truth would only hurt him and Dan already knew that their friendship was fragile after their breakup. They only dated for a few months, before they decided together that they were better as friends. They continued to live together, but things were different. 

Phil rarely came out of his room, only coming out for food and to grab assorted bottle of booze. He reeked, Dan could smell him when he came to retrieve his dinner. Phil always smelled like cheap alcohol and body odor because he rarely showered and Dan had tried time and time again to get him to clean himself up because it hurt him to see him look so rough, but Phil refused. 

So, here Dan was, creeping up the stairs to his bedroom, hoping to avoid his ex as he returned from his new boyfriend's house. It was late, maybe 3 am, but he had things to do in the morning so he couldn't stay with Henry. His feet fell softly against the carpet on the stairs but as he got to the hall in front of his and Phil's rooms, the hardwood creaked loudly. Dan cringed, holding his breath as he listened for any movement from Phil's room. None. He was in the clear. 

Dan let out his breath as he continued to his room, making it all the way to his door before the door behind him creaked open and he heard Phil's voice. 

"Where were you all day?" Phil asked, his voice slightly slurred.

"Out." Dan replied pointedly. "Where were you? Oh, let me guess. In your room." 

Phil glanced down, almost in shame before looking up at Dan with a fiery passion in his eyes. "You were out with a guy."

"So what if I was?" Dan huffed, standing upright now, staring Phil in the eyes. "I have the right to."

"But," Phil started, prompted getting cut off by Dan. 

"No. You have no buts, nothing. We broke up weeks ago. You have no right to have any input in my relationships anymore." 

Phil stood silently for a moment, his brain buzzing from the gin he had drank a few hours prior, struggling to form a thought. So, the first formed idea in his head was the one he went with. 

"You cheated on me."

Dan laughed, "You're delusional." he spat. "What fucking makes you think that?"

"There's no way you could've moved on fast enough to have a boyfriend already unless you cheated on me." Phil reasoned, making Dan roll his eyes. 

"No. I didn't cheat on you. I'm just with Henry now." 

"Henry." Phil whispered to himself, "I've heard that name before."

Dan nodded slightly. "That's because me and Henry have been friends for years." he explained, watching Phil's eyes widen then turn to a glare.

"How long have you been sleeping with him?" Dan gasped and rolled his eyes, turning his back to Phil. 

"Shut up, Phil. I didn't cheat on you, so drop it." he said as he walked to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Phil stared at the door he was met with now, his jaw clenched. "I'll make you fucking pay for cheating on me, you whore!" he called out so Dan could hear before slamming his door. 

-

The next morning Phil woke up with a splitting headache like every day, a cold glass bottle pressed against his chest. He groaned as he picked the bottle up, staring at it with squinted eyes to read the label. Oh, it was the gin from the night before. He grumbled a few times before his heart began to hurt, thinking back to what happened the night before. Dan had cheated on him. With Henry. That name felt like poison on his tongue as he said it out loud a few times. With the alcohol still fogging his brain, he stood up, heading out to grab a little breakfast from the kitchen. As he left his room he came face to face with a man he had never seen before. Phil blinked a few times before looking around, noticing Dan's bedroom door open. 

He looked back at the man and studied his features a bit, trying to figure out who it was. "Um, hello." 

The man gave a polite smile, "Hi, I'm just waiting for Daniel."

Phil's whole body heated up. This must've been Henry. 

"Oh, you must be Henry. Nice to meet you." Phil said, plastering on his best fake smile as he offered him his hand. Just as Henry took his hand, Dan walked out of his room, staring at them a bit.

"Hi... Phil." He said softly, walking closer to them. "Are we ready to go?" Dan asked Henry, smiling at him. 

"Yeah." Henry said softly, "It was nice to meet you, Phil." 

"Oh yeah, see you later." he said "We'll have to hang out sometimes, all of us." 

Dan's eyes widened a bit before he just smiled, "Yup. Well, see you later Phil." he muttered quickly before pulling Henry away from Phil and out of the apartment. Maybe Phil had forgotten about the whole incident the night before. When him and Henry made it to the hall outside the flat, Dan laughed slightly. 

"What?"

"I guess Phil really is a different person when he's sober." 

"What does that mean?" Henry questioned, worried. 

"Oh nothing. I'll tell you over coffee." Dan hummed, giving him a small peck on the cheek before they were on their way to the coffee shop they tended to go to. As they got there, they took a seat, still holding hands as Dan began to tell the story. All the way from walking in the door til the minute his bedroom door was shut. 

"Wow, sounds like someone hasn't moved on," Henry joked. "Can't say I blame him, you're pretty great."

Dan turned red and rolled his eyes, "I guess he hasn't. But I wouldn't worry about it, Phil has never been great at showing his emotions in a reasonable way. All he had to tell me was that he still had feelings for me but I think this works too." he said, shrugging. "Whatever, he's harmless."

-

Across town, Phil was dressed and showered, his keys tucked away in his pocket as he left their shared flat for the first time in weeks. The cold crisp air hit him and he took a deep breath of fall air before climbing into the Uber that was waiting for him, giving the man sitting in the driver's seat the directions to his stop. The ride seemed too long. Like the beating in his chest was killing him every minute it took to travel across the town. When he saw the sign on the door, he smiled at the driver, giving him his fare plus tip. This was it. He took a breath as he stepped inside, glancing around a bit. 

-

Dan stared down at his phone with a bit of confusion as Henry returned to his lounge from the bathroom, making his boyfriend worry as he took his seat next to him. 

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing," he said softly. "Just, Phil wants to see us for dinner tonight to apologize." 

Henry smiled, wrapping his arm around Dan's shoulders. "See, that's great. He's sorry for freaking you out. Maybe that's what he needs to get back on his feet." Dan nodded a little, still staring at his phone. 

"Should I ask him where?"

"Yeah, I don't mind going if it's not too weird for you."

Dan hummed, "No, it's not too weird." he said as he typed out his response, sending it to his ex. It didn't take long before there was a new message popping up on his phone. 

"He wants to meet at the flat. He's making something." 

"Sounds lovely. We'll be there."

-

Dinner was civil. When Dan and Henry arrived back at the flat, Phil was dressed nice. In one of his button up shirts and a nice pair of jeans, serving up smiles as soon as he opened the door. He grabbed a bottle of wine from the cupboard and poured them each a glass before returning to the pasta he was making. They all sat down and made small talk, eating their food politely. Dan even made the comment,

"This is my favorite." 

Phil smirked a little bit at that, continuing to eat his food. 

When everyone had finished, Phil suggested a little walk in the park, maybe even frozen yogurt and everyone agreed. He smiled and excused himself to his room to grab his coat. As he made it into his room, he felt his heart thumping in his chest as he grabbed his light jacket and the hard metal that was hidden beneath it. The object was tucked into his jacket pocket before he met back up with the couple in the lounge. They left into the chilly London air and soon made it to the park. The sun was just beginning to set as Phil cleared his throat. 

"So, when did you get together?" 

Dan looked over at Phil in a panic before responding with, "Just a few weeks ago. Like a week after we..."

"Oh, well you two seem really happy together." Phil replied, the bitterness not noticed by Henry but it was by Dan. 

"We are." Dan said pointedly. 

"Yeah..." he trailed off a bit. "You know, Dan, if you would've just told me that you didn't want to be with me, I would've let you leave. You know, instead of cheating."

Dan paused in his tracks, Henry looking confused beside him. "I told you time and time again, I didn't cheat on you."

Phil laughed, his voice now filled with hatred and anger. He stopped in front of them, turning to face them. "You know what's been driving me crazy? Does he make you say his name?" he stepped closer, staring Dan in his eyes. "Like I did." 

Dan turned red slightly, tugging on Henry to try to walk away. But as soon as they took a step in the opposite direction, they heard Phil say, "No, I wouldn't leave if I were you." he said, his hand reaching inside his jacket to grab the cold metal, his finger sliding down the slide to the trigger. Dan froze in his tracks, his eyes now staring down the barrel of a shiny new pistol. 

"Phil," Dan said shakily, "I'm so sorry." 

"The time to forgive is gone." Phil responded, staring at Henry who stared at him with his mouth open. "But I have a few questions."

Dan nodded his head a little, deciding to go along with it. Maybe they could make it out of this. 

"When? When did you guys start fucking?" 

Dan glanced over at Henry who still looked confused on the cheating topic. "About July." he lied. That was only a few months into their relationship at all so he knew he had made a mistake as soon as he saw Phil's jaw clenching. 

"Did you even love me at all?" Phil asked, stepping close enough to be face to face with Dan, the gun now pointed at Henry. The two made eye contact. 

"I still do. I just love him too." Dan breathed out, glancing over at the gun that was now pointed at his boyfriend. Phil's eyes followed Dan's to the gun before he chuckled. 

"You worried about I'm gonna do?" he mumbled, taking a step back as he lowered his arm, no longer pointing the gun at Henry. 

"Please don't do anything you'll regret, Phil." Dan begged. As the words left his mouth, he felt a drop of water fall on his nose as the rain began to fall. He glanced up and felt his eyes joining in. Phil stared at him and stepped closer, smiling at him. 

"I won't regret it." he whispered, leaning in to peck his lips softly, stepping back before clicking the hammer. "Is he willing to die for you?" he asked, pointing it at Henry's head. "You know I was. I would've given it all for you, baby."

Dan started to hyperventilate, "Please no, Phil, please. I'm so sorry. I love you. I love you so much. Please leave him alone. He didn't do anything to you."

"He took you away from me." Phil yelled, glaring at Dan. "I can't live without you. Not without you with me."

"Please. Phil, I didn't do anything t--" Henry started, being interrupted by a rattling bang as Phil's finger grazed against the trigger. His body thumped to the ground, Dan letting out a choked sob. He felt to his knees, clutching onto Henry's limp body, his fingers brushing against his bloody forehead. Phil fell next to him, wrapping his arms around Dan as he dropped the gun. 

"We can finally be back together." he whispered, kissing Dan's neck as he heard sirens in the background. Dan shrugged Phil off, pushing him away. 

"Please just leave me alone." Dan muttered as the police stormed the area, yelling for both of them to raise their hand over their heads. 

* * *

Phil raised his head up as he heard the guard standing in the doorway yelling for him to hurry up. He swallowed thickly and nodded, running his hands through his hair as he turned the water off and dried off as much as he could before changing back into his orange outfit, exiting the shower room. As he walked back, he kept his head down, his hands messing with the hem of his shirt. 

Was it worth it?

**Author's Note:**

> I've been waiting for you to come  
> Staring out at the setting sun  
> You've been running 'round again  
> With that boy you call your friend
> 
> And it's driving me insane  
> Does he make you say his name?  
> And you can't get it off your tongue  
> Little girl, you are not so young
> 
> Does it hurt when you lie to me  
> If you'd asked, I would set you free  
> But the time to forgive is gone  
> The day has passed, the night has come
> 
> Ain't you worried what I'll do?  
> And that boy should worry, too  
> Can you face me for what you've done?  
> Little girl, you are not so young
> 
> Oh, is he ready to die for you, baby?  
> Naw, but you know I was  
> I've found a living but I would have given  
> It all for the girl I love  
> Oh, is he ready to die for you, baby?  
> Now that the deed is done  
> I'm just waiting for night and the fading  
> Light of the setting sun
> 
> Tell me when did I lose your love?  
> Was it him you were thinking of  
> All those nights when you made me swoon  
> Making love beneath the moon?
> 
> Were you dreaming of his touch?  
> When you couldn't get enough  
> Was there truth in the songs you sung?  
> Little girl, you're not so young
> 
> Well, I could never betray your love  
> You had me, heart and soul  
> You might never have known it, girl  
> But I was all yours  
> I know I'll never reclaim your love  
> But that's just how it goes  
> I ain't the person I was  
> This morning when the sun rose
> 
> Well, I could never betray your love  
> You had me, heart and soul  
> You might never have known it, girl  
> But I was all yours  
> I know I'll never reclaim your love  
> But that's just how it goes  
> I ain't the person I was  
> This morning when the sun rose  
> I know I'll never replace your love  
> And that's as hard as it gets  
> So I'll be taking a life  
> This evening when the sun sets


End file.
